


The Clown and the Potato Sack

by TheOneAndOnlyBeepBoop



Category: Blades of Light and Shadow (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/M, extreme clownery, potato sack Aerin, probably angst, sarcasm lots of sarcasm
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-06-09
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:29:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24533863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheOneAndOnlyBeepBoop/pseuds/TheOneAndOnlyBeepBoop
Summary: Now with the Dreadlord defeated and her friends out of Whitetower, Cassia Nightbloom, is bored. Extremely bored. She wants to do literally anything, but she doesn't know what. Her solution? Try to get some answers from a certain corrupt prince. Unfortunately, that leads to a wacky yet angsty adventure involving a potato sack, a wooden spoon, and A LOT of clowning around.At least she's doing something...right?
Relationships: Aerin Valleros/Main Character (Blades of Light and Shadow)
Kudos: 21





	1. ...Now What?

**Author's Note:**

> Haha so I have no idea what the hell I'm doing. This was supposed to be just a one-shot, but now it's gonna be longer. How much longer? idk. I kinda know where I'm going with this but have no idea how to get there. So. Hope you guys enjoy! Thi

Cassia watched from the castle balcony as a raggedy caravan rolled out of Whitetower. They’re really gone now, she thought, turning her back on the city. There was a new kind of…emptiness inside her now that Mal, Nia, Tyril, and Imtura were all gone. Maybe they’d only known each other a few months, but to someone who barely had any family to call their own—it struck a certain chord with Cassia to see them go.

She sighed and noted the setting sun—her reminder that she should probably get to dinner. Not that Cassia wanted to spend yet another dinner answering the pointless questions of all those stuffy nobles, but she felt obliged to as Morella’s hero—at least until she figured out where she was going to go from here.

As Cassia walked through the towering corridors, she thought some more about where she wanted to go. Kade wanted to go back to Riverbend(but only after he’d exhausted the library), not in any particular mood to experience any more danger than he already had. Of course, Cassia couldn’t blame him. If she’d spent months in a realm of pure darkness being tortured, she would want at least a break as well.

But that was the thing: she hadn’t been in the Shadow Realm, and she wasn’t like Kade. Cassia always thirsted for adventure and as much as she loved Riverbend, she spent twenty out of the almost twenty-one years of her life there. There was so much more out there and if her nightmare had any shred of truth, Cassia knew she had to be there.

But where? She’d already decided against going with any of the others when they left—Cassia’s injuries would make intense sailing with Imtura or any of what Mal had planned painful and difficult, and she wanted to give Nia the room to figure things out on her own. The idea that seemed most plausible for her was going undercount with Tyril. It would’ve been a prime opportunity to learn more about where she came from, after all. Yet…she still felt awkward going there—Cassia knew almost nothing of the elven societal cues and would feel a little useless when trying to help out Tyril with her duties.

She shook her head as she reached the doors of the dining hall. “Never mind all that.” She muttered. “I made my decision.”

“Finally!” Called a voice. “You had me thinking you were going to bail!”

Cassia looked up to see Kade, sitting on one of the corridor benches. He held a new book in his hand, different from the one Cassia had seen him reading at breakfast.

“Sorry,” she muttered, leaning against the closed doors. “Just wanted to make sure the others made it out of town safely.” She swallowed the knot in her throat and nodded toward the dining hall. “Let’s just get to dinner.”

Kade raised an eyebrow, but nonetheless followed Cassia into the hall.

When they entered, Cassia was surprised to see only King Arlan, Threep, and Loola sitting at the table. None of them looked particularly cheerful—not even Threep, who just stared at his dinner plate with a somber expression.

“Your majesty,” Cassia breathed, dipping into a curtsy. “It’s a pleasure to be in your—“

“Oh hush, Cassia,” Arlan said, shaking his head. “There’s no one else here and you’ve more than cemented yourself as a friend of the crown.”

Cassia coughed and straightened up. “Right…Is there any particular reason for the ah—grim mood and significant lack of nobles?”

Arlan cleared his throat and eyed the nespers. “Well, there’s news.”

Cassia felt her heart catch in her throat. _News? It can’t have anything to do with what that hooded being said in my dream, could it? No, of course not. It was just a nightmare…right? ___

__“Is something wrong?” Kade piped, eyebrows already creasing with worry._ _

__The king shared a look with Threep and Loola, who looked back at Kade and Cassia._ _

__“Aerin’s awake now,” Threep said, stretching his wings. “I saw him myself in the dungeons—he’s still very much corrupted, but—“_ _

__“He’s quiet,” Loola spoke. “All he’s done is hug his knees and stare at the wall.”_ _

__Kade scoffed. “Sounds to me like he’s scheming. Want me to punch him again?”_ _

__Cassia elbowed her brother (lightly) in the side. “I’m sure it’s fine. Even if he was scheming, there’s really nothing he can do. His cell is surrounded by guards 24/7, there’s a magical barrier around it, and besides, if for some reason he gets out—“ she gestured to the three weapons of legend she had strapped to her body. “I’ll have it handed.”_ _

__“Sure,” Kade said, rolling his eyes as he took a seat at the table. He went to drink from his goblet, but a playful smirk graced his lips. “You’re just saying that because you kissed him.”_ _

__Cassia grumbled as she took a seat next to Kade at the table. “We don’t have to keep bringing that up,” she whispered through gritted teeth. “That was like, a month ago—before he was you know—evil.”_ _

__“Whatever you say,” Kade taunted, still smirking as he took a sip from his goblet._ _

__~~~_ _

__The rest of dinner was relatively low-key. Cassia filled Arlan in on what the others were going to do now that they were gone and Kade entertained them all with wild stories from the deep corners of his mind._ _

__Once dinner was over, however, and Kade, Loola, and Threep all returned to their previous business, leaving Cassia to do as she pleased. Problem was, Cassia didn’t really have anything to do._ _

__She found herself standing in the middle of the corridor for what was longer than considered usual—even for Cassia._ _

__“Dammit!” She cried, hours later. “I’m bored as all hells!” In a fit of rage, Cassia kicked the solid gold leg of a nearby bench. Solid. Gold. Promptly after kicking it, Cassia let out a pained yelp and brought her foot up to her arms._ _

__After a few more seconds of hopping on one foot and whisper-shouting an array of curses, Cassia collapsed onto the bench and buried her face in her hands._ _

__“Gods…” she groaned. “I really need to get out of here and do something more dangerous than stubbing my toe.”_ _

__But, what was there to do? The most dangerous place Cassia could think of was the Nooks and Crannies—but the real danger was really the guards and Cassia wasn’t interested in picking fights with them right now. She and Mal had already informed Arlan of the corruption, there was no need to escalate a situation that was already under control._ _

__She thought back to visiting them with Mal…and how they got out of their scuffle with the guards._ _

__Unconsciously, Cassia ran her fingers over the ring Aerin had given her. She still hadn’t taken it off, even after the betrayal. It was a reminder of their night at the lake._ _

__She let out another groan. There were so many things about that night that didn’t make sense. Why would he save the unicorn? Sure, it could’ve been to defy Baldur, but…the character he’d been playing didn’t seem like the kind to do that kind of thing. And besides—it was a living thing. Cassia kinda figured the shadow realm had a thing against them—as long as they weren’t a part of their little posse. So why? Why would he do it?_ _

__And as a matter of fact, why did he actually not not want to be with her when she “pretend” (as she liked to tell herself) flirting with him during the final battle? That was weird. For someone with such a cold and hardened heart he certainly seemed pretty open to still having her be with him. Were her seduction skills really that good?_ _

__Well, to be fair, she did seduce a giant bug. So maybe they were._ _

__So many questions and no way to get answers. Unless…?_ _

___He’s awake. _Cassia thought. _You could go down there…I’m sure the guards would let us—a hero of the realm—go see him. Maybe you could get some answers. Only answers though. You don’t like him anymore, remember? He kinda tried to kill you and all your friends. Also tried to take of the world. So only answers. Nothing else. ______ _

______She thought about it for a few minutes. No one other than the guards would have to know, right? Not Threep, not Loola, not Arlan or Kade…and especially not Mal. The snitch._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Godsdammit,” Cassia groaned, looking up at the ceiling. “I can’t believe I’m this bored.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______And with that, she got up and headed toward the dungeons, against her better judgement, yes, but even if she didn’t want to admit it…_ _ _ _ _ _

______…Cassia was a horny bitch._ _ _ _ _ _

______~~~_ _ _ _ _ _

______Aerin had been put at the lowest level of the dungeons, about four stories below ground. Why the castle need that many floors was beyond Cassia, but nonetheless, she continued her journey down. Down. Down. Down._ _ _ _ _ _

_______Aaaannnnd it turns out walking downstairs for what feels like an eternity is just as boring as standing in the middle of the corridor. Only difference is the corridor is WARM! ____ _ _ _ _ _

________“Do you hear that?” Echoed a guard’s voice._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Cassia stopped in her tracks._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Yeah. Sounds like footsteps. Probably Woodworth and Highmourn coming to relieve us early. Let’s just get going early, tonight’s my anniversary and I don’t want to have to make it up to the ol’ husband again.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“What about the prince? Weren’t we given strict orders to not leave him alone?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Ack, who cares? I mean, look at him—what’s he gonna do, cry about it?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________There was about of hearty laughter followed by the clanking of armor. Thinking fast and remembering Mal’s trick, Cassia dodged out of the guards' sight and held her breath until they passed. Once she was sure they were long gone, she sprinted the rest of the way down the stairs until she reached Aerin’s cell._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________At first glance, it looked like any other cell—dark, damp, and decrepit. But when Cassia got closer, she could see the gold haze of the magical barrier keeping him in. Well, if nothing else, he should at least have a hard time getting out of that. Cassia thought, slowing down to a tiptoe the closer she got._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Finally, she reached Aerin’s cell. Unsure if whether or not he was aware of her presence, Cassia just stared. He looked so small. Of course, before all of this, Cassia still had maybe a few inches on him, but then, he wasn’t absolutely helpless. He wasn’t wearing the brilliant red and gold suit he wore the whole time they knew each other, instead wearing a brown tunic and pants that looked more like poorly-stitched together potato sacks than actual clothes. Even in the dark, Cassia’s elven vision could see that he was still grey. Many of the dark veins had gone, but he was still very much corrupted by the shadow._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________What do I even say to him? She thought, slipping the Gauntlet of Pain on and off her wrist. Obviously, I’m just here to get questions, so like, just ask him a question. Duh. Easy. Don’t make it awkward. It’s not like you kissed him or anything—oh wait._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Ahem—“ Cassia started._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“—I already said, I don’t want any food, Highmourn. Now please, if both of you could shut up while I brood I would much appreciate it!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Cassia coughed. “Sounds like somebody didn’t get their beauty sleep.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Aerin gasped and whipped around, scowl deepening when he saw Cassia standing over him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“What are you doing here?!” He spat, rising to his full height(which unfortunately for him, didn’t really look intimidating to Castalia). “Are you here to rub it in? To gloat? Where are all your friends? Am I just not worth their time?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Cassia sighed and rolled her eyes._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Calm down, Aerin. I’m not here to antagonize you—you’ve already done that enough—“_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“—You just antagonized me! You lie!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Cassia raised an eyebrow. “…And you’re a drama queen. I’m just here to ask you a few questions and I’ll be out of your hair.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Aerin scoffed and turned his back to her. “What reason could I possibly have to answer to you? You won, Cassia. You got everything you wanted and I have nothing. Why do I have to give you any more?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________A few seconds of silence passed. Cassia tried to deny how much that stung, but the tears that started to well up in her eyes proved otherwise._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Fine,” she snapped, voice wavering. “I’ll only ask you one thing. Then I’ll leave you alone for the rest of your miserable life. Is that enough for you?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Aerin’s shoulders hunched. “Only if it’ll get you to leave.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Alright.” Cassia’s hands balled into fists. “What happened?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Her words echoed through the dungeon. Seconds passed where the only movement was that of the salty, salty tears rolled down Cassia’s cheeks._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Eventually, Aerin’s shoulders relaxed. “Why do you want to know?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Because you were my friend, Aerin. And I want to know why you could so easily go from someone sweet, kind, and compassionate to literally trying to take over the world.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Easy,” he spat. “I’ve been corrupted by the shadow court and had a damn good way of hiding it. Can you go now?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Cassia sighed. “But that night at the lake…you saved that unicorn. If you had such a hatred for human life, why would you save it?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“That’s more than one question.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Gods, is this who he really is? Incredibly difficult?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Fine,” she sighed. “I’ll leave. Have a nice life.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Cassia wiped her face and turned to leave. Of course, she wasn’t gonna get the answers she so desperately wanted. They were right there. What was the point of coming down there anyway?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Wait!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She stopped._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“I’ll tell you what happened, Cassia. But…it’s a long story.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Cassia turned back around and saw Aerin, grasping the bars of his cell with the same vulnerable, hurt, look she remembered from the Deadwood._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She walked back over and took a seat on the ground._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“I have time.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


	2. A Sudden Interest in Floriculture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> flowers !

“I have time.”

Aerin swallowed hard and took a seat across from Cassia. “Are you sure?”

Cassia continued to frown, but nodded. “Everyone else left town a few hours ago and this is the most dangerous things can get right now.”

“Are you really that bored?” He asked, starting to fiddle with his potato-sack-tunic.

“I’m bored and I want answers,” she spoke firmly, trying not to let her emotions out. Why was she doing that anyway? Aerin couldn’t do anything to her if he saw that she was weak, right? Other than get in my head. So yeah. Cassia wasn’t gonna look sad. Not that she was. Well...she was sad. But that was because her friends had just left town. Not because of Aerin. Duh...right?

Aerin shook his head. “Fine, but don’t act surprised when the answer is just corruption.”

“Just tell me what happened, Aerin,” Cassia said, biting her lower lip. 

A few seconds of silence passed before anyone said anything. The longer Cassia stared into his dark, corrupt, eyes, the more the whole situation set in. This was the real Aerin. The prince she met in the Deadwood was just a facade.

Aerin sighed and shook his head. “Alright, fine, but I’m only doing this to get you out of here.”

“That’s fine. All I need are some answers,” Cassia said, crossing her legs. “It’s not like I want to be down here much more than you do.” She shivered and pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders.

“Okay,” he breathed. “It happened when I was really young, maybe two or three. I don’t remember the full details of what happened, but it ended with my chambers trashed, my storybooks torn to pieces, and my nose bloodied. I tried to tell my parents but…they refused to believe that their “perfect little future king” could cause such destruction.” Aerin let out a dry laugh and looked at the mossy brick wall. “They actually tried to accuse me of doing it myself for attention…Attention that neither of them ever gave me.”

About a minute of silence passed by again. Aerin continued to look at the wall, but Cassia could see the emptiness in his expression. There wasn’t any sadness, but there wasn’t any anger either. He just…stared.

“Soooo…How did you get corrupted?”

Aerin looked back at Cassia and sighed. “The details are fuzzy…but I remember running off to somewhere in the castle to be alone…that’s when Erthax found me. I don’t know or remember how, but he told me that if I helped him, there would be a day where I’d never have to be hurt by Baldur again.” He looked down. “I’m quite sure you can guess what happened next.”

_He was three. Cassia thought. A child. A pawn. ___

__“Can you leave me alone now?”_ _

__Cassia shook her head. “Not until the other two guards get here. You’re not supposed to be left alone.”_ _

__The grown that Aerin let out could probably be heard from Flotilla. Or the shadow realm. Or both. Probably both. Aerin was a bit of a drama queen._ _

__“You think I want to be here? Because I don’t. “_ _

__“But—didn’t you—aren’t you—for a reason—what?”_ _

__Cassia crossed her arms and shook her head. “Just because I wanted answers doesn’t mean I want to spend an extended amount of time in this cold, damp, mossy dungeon. It’s freezing._ _

__Aerin scoffed. “Oh, poor you. You’ve had to stay down here for what—thirty minutes? I can’t even fathom that. I’m only down here for, oh, I don’t know—the rest of my life!”_ _

__The pair spent the net few minutes glaring at each other. Anger and frustration began welling up in Cassia’s chest the longer she gazed into his eyes, the eyes that she couldn’t believe were Aerin’s, the eyes that weren’t the ones she saw at the lake. They couldn’t be. They didn’t have the same life in them. That Aerin was hopeful. This Aerin was a bitch._ _

__Cassia sighed and laid down on her back. She ignored the puddle she was laying in, even as the water soaked through her clothes. Truly, what could she do now? She got what she could out of Aerin. That was the last interesting thing she could think of._ _

__Fifteen minutes passed, and there was still no sign of the guards. Fifteen minutes passed, and Cassia’s eyelids grew heavy. Fifteen minutes passed, and Aerin stared blankly at his prison._ _

___Drip. Drip. Drip. _Cassia gazed at the ceiling, watching the droplets of water fall all around her. And on her. There was a reason that puddle she was laying in was where it was.__ _ _

____As much as she didn’t want them to, Cassia let her thoughts drift back to the lake again. The unicorn still bothered her, but, she knew that with Aerin in this bad a mood, she wasn’t going to get that answer any time soon. She thought about when it was just them, sitting on the edge of the lake. When they splashed each other, when they just talked. How pretty those flowers looked in the moonlight…_ _ _ _

____The lake…those flowers…_ _ _ _

____Cassia sprung to her feet. “THE MOONBLOOMS!”_ _ _ _

____“GAH!” Aerin screeched, falling back at Cassia’s sudden shout. He held a hand up to his head and glared at Cassia. “What the hells are you going on about?”_ _ _ _

____“Oh gods,” Cassia breathed, starting to bounce from foot to foot. “That’s the cure!”_ _ _ _

____“For what?” Aerin snapped. “Corruption?”_ _ _ _

____“No!” She yelped. “My boredom!” Cassia let a beat pass by. “…Okay, maybe to cure your corruption too.”_ _ _ _

____“Psh,” Aerin scoffed, turning his back to Cassia. “What makes you think I want to be cured, huh? I have a revenge plan to form. I don’t have time to not be corrupted.”_ _ _ _

____Cassia snorted. “Of course you don’t want to be not corrupted. You’re corrupted!” She made a mad dash to the exit. “I’ll be back! I have a plan!”_ _ _ _

____Aerin turned back around and grasped onto the bars of his cell. “No! Wait! I don’t consent to this plan!”_ _ _ _

____“Too late!”_ _ _ _

____~~~_ _ _ _

____“Soooo…You gonna tell me why you have an interest in magical floriculture all of a sudden?”_ _ _ _

____Cassia didn’t look up from her book. “I’m bored, Kade. I’m bored and I want to learn about flowers. Must you judge me for such an innocent hobby?”_ _ _ _

____The morning light bathed Cassia’s spot in the library in light, creating a warm blanket around her. Cassia’s book was one on magical flowers(unsurprisingly) and their properties. So far, there was nothing on moonblooms._ _ _ _

____“You know the fact that you’re calling your hobby “innocent” makes me even more suspicious, right?” Kade picked a random book off one of the shelves and sat down on the floor in front of the chair Cassia was sitting in._ _ _ _

____“Well, I never questioned your tiny chair collection,” she muttered, thumbing through the pages._ _ _ _

____Kade shrugged and started reading his own book. “Alright, you got me there.”_ _ _ _

____Cassia smirked. “Thanks. I’ll be sure to update you when I get out of trouble.”_ _ _ _

____“What could you possibly be doing with flowers that could get you into trouble?” Kade scratched his head. “Wait…never mind. You can get into trouble for anything.”_ _ _ _

____“Damn right I can.”_ _ _ _

____As Cassia continued to skim her book, she smiled at all the memories she had of getting in trouble with Kade. It was a simpler time…when the most danger she could get in was by trying to steal a pie, not…you know…having to venture into the equivalent of hell to make sure her best friend wasn’t used as a vessel for an ancient beast to try and take over the world._ _ _ _

____Eventually, Cassia came across the page she was looking for._ _ _ _

_____Moonblooms: Only Known Cure for Corruption ____ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______Cassia’s heartbeat quickened as she read the title. _Alright, this is it. What do we gotta do to cure Aerin’s corruption—our boredom?__ _ _ _ _ _

_________Moonblooms used to be used by the Elven Empire to cure any forms of corruption. Unfortunately, just before the Shadow Court revolted, they made an effort to destroy as many moonblooms as possible. Within the last few thousand years, there haven’t been any reports of living moonblooms._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________However, if you ever find yourself in a situation where you know of a place to get moonblooms, and have some corruption you’d like to cure, here’s what you would need to do:_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________Soak the petals in a bowl of water for around eight and a half minutes. By then, the water should be a deep plum color, and it should be steaming. Once your concoction is in this state, have your corrupted being drink it. Yes, it may be extremely hot, but it’ll do no lasting harm to the mouth. Once the cure has entered the system, results will be almost immediate, but be warned: all of the shadow being expelled at once will be incredibly painful for the one being cured. The records have people stating that it feels like throwing up knives, as well as stating an appearance of blood. Another side effect of this cure is feelings of extreme remorse, sadness, and joy, all at once. ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Hey, Kade?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Hm?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Do you wanna help me with something?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Kade didn’t look up from his book. “Sure.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Even if it involves breaking Aerin out of his cell to get him to the Deadwood to cure him of his corruption?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Does this happen to have anything to do with you kissing him at some point?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Cassia scoffed. “N-no! I’m just bored!” She started rolling from her heels to her feet. “I need more adventure! This is the closest I can get to the ordeal we just went through! I’m certainly NOT doing this because I have a history with him.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Kade looked up from his book and raised an eyebrow._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Okay—maybe it has something to do with it,” Cassia mumbled, crossing her arms. “But—that’s not…the _only _reason why…”___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Sure, Cassia. _Whatever _you say.” Kade set his book on the floor and grinned. “So…what do you need me to do?”___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________~~~_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“So remind me why we’re stealing sacks of potatoes from the kitchens again?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Cassia slung another sack over her shoulder. “Because we need to make a convincing decoy.” She watched Kade drop one of the sacks. “Plus they’d probably help us knock out the guards.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Kade heaved the dropped potato sack over his shoulder. “Right…how are you supposed to get him out of there? Isn’t there a magical shield or something?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“You’re forgetting I’m a powerful magic-user. I’m sure I can figure out some way to break him out.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“So what I’m hearing,” Kade said, pushing the kitchen doors open. “Is that you don’t have a plan at all.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“You wound me, brother,” Cassia said, slinging the potatoes into the wheelbarrow sitting outside. “My _plan _is to make it up as I go.”___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


	3. The Reluctant Prisoner

“God, these potato sacks are really heav—SHIT!”

Cassia stifled a laugh as she watched Kade practically roll down the stairs, followed by many a loose potato. His journey to the bottom of the stairs ended with a resounding thud.

“FUCK!” Kade yelled. “I am in more PAIN than I’ve ever been in, and I was TORTURED for months by the SHADOW COURT!”

Before Cassia could retort, hearty laughter echoed throughout the dungeons. 

_“Ha ha…HA! Oh gods! I haven’t laughed like that in a good long while!”_

_“My pain is funny you, Aerin? Wait…what am I saying, you called yourself the prince of darkness! Of course you find my pain funny!” ___

__Cassia scampered down the stairs to find scene that only had her about 25% surprised. Kade was laying face down on the ground, surrounded by the potatoes that had fallen out of the sack during his tumble: Expected. She watched him fall. Aerin was laughing his ass of: Kind of expected. Obviously he would find the pain of other people funny, hells, even Cassia wanted to laugh—however, Aerin was showing emotion that wasn’t Brooding Bitch._ _

__There was one thing, though, that caught Cassia completely off guard…that being the lack of guards and magical barrier. There weren’t even any unconscious bodies laying on the ground in front of the cell. All that was there was Aerin, Kade, and potatoes._ _

__Eventually, Aerin stopped laughing, and promptly shot Cassia a scowl._ _

__“I see you’re still trying to “save” me,” he spat._ _

__Cassia scoffed as she crouched down to help Kade back to his feet. “And I see that you’re still Prince Bitch.”_ _

__Kade dusted himself off. “She’s trying to save you because apparently, you’re a good kisser,” he mumbled._ _

__“That is absolutely not the reason, Kade,” Cassia said, dropping the two sacks of potatoes on the ground, “I already told you, _I’m bored _!”___ _

____“…and horny.”_ _ _ _

____“KADE!”_ _ _ _

____Cassia picked up a soft potato and chucked it at her brother’s head, only for him to duck out of the way, letting the potato splat against the wall._ _ _ _

____“Gods,” Aerin groaned. “For once I agree with Cassia on the fact that neither of us want to acknowledge our ehm— _history _. It was a moment of weakness for both of us that we would both rather _forget _.”_____ _ _ _

________“I—yes,” Cassia muttered, pulling her sword out of its hilt. “What happened between us is something to be forgotten.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________Of course it is, Cassia. He’s evil. EVIL! He only used you to gain an ally. He could care less about what happened between us. Why is this a surprise? It shouldn’t be…but…he actually believed us when we wanted to join him. It had to have meant something, right? Wait. Why does that even matter?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

__________Cassia shook her head and inserted the tip of her sword into the keyhole. She fiddled with it for maybe a minute or so before giving up and shaking her head._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Godsdammit,” she groaned, resting her head against one of the bars. “Where is the barrier, anyway?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Blackmailed a priestess,” Kade said, picking up a loose rock and throwing it at the wall._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Cassia did a double take. “Kade, you WHAT?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Are you deaf?” Aerin scoffed, crossing his arms. “He blackmailed a priestess! To help break out one of Morella’s worst criminals!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“I wouldn’t give you that much credit,” Kade joked, earning a glare from Aerin. “You were more of a minor inconvenience than anything else.”  
“But—but I killed the heir to this kingdom! That’s gotta be something, right?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Cassia shrugged as she crouched down and fiddled with the cell’s lock. “I mean, I think you did us a favor more than anything else. Not saying that you murdering your brother in cold blood was good or anything, but he was really unlikable.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________The next few minutes were spent using various items to try to pick the lock. First, Cassia’s sword. Next, one of the spikes from her gauntlet. Finally, she tried one of her arrows. It slid into the lock seamlessly. Cassia worked the arrow back and forth, until the lock eventually clicked open and the door swung open._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Yes!” Cassia whisper-shouted, sliding the arrow back into its quiver._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Dammit!” Aerin whisper shouted, sliding to the very back of his cell._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Cassia stood up to her full height and dropped her arms to her sides. “Oh, come on, Aerin! I thought you’d want to get out of here! See the sun for the first time in weeks, breath air that doesn’t smell like moldy nesper puke, be around other people that aren’t guards!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Aerin turned to face the wall and rested his head on his knees. “No.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“No? Why not?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Because,” he started, hugging his knees. “There’s no point in it. Even if I get reformed, I still murdered the hair to the kingdom. They’re not just going to let me go free just because I wouldn’t be inclined to do so again.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Cassia nodded her head to the side. “That could be true…but…I’m bored.” She took a rope out of her pack. “So get up. We’re going on a quest.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“No.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Yes.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“No.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Yes.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“No.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Yes._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“No.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Could you guys either shut up or make out?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Cassia turned a deep shade of red before silently entering Aerin’s cell and tying his wrists together with the rope. She wasn’t unaware of how close she was to him as she tied the knot, but tried to ignore the sensation of his unusually cool breath on her skin._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“You know,” he started, gazing at the intricate not Cassia was tying. “You say you want to help free me, yet here you are, tying me up so I can’t escape.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________A small smirk spread across Cassia’s face as she finished tying the knot. “Well, even if I’m breaking you out, you’re still a prisoner, and we can’t have you getting away and spreading corrupt  
ion everywhere.”  
“You know I could still walk away from you, right?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Cassia winked and pulled a slightly longer rope out of her pack. Without saying anything, she wrapped it around Aerin’s waste and tied it into a knot._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“There. Now I literally have you on a leash.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Kade snickered. “Shoulda tied it around is neck. I’m sure both of you’d be into it.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Cassia scoffed and stood back up, holding the end of the rope. “You know what I’m into, Kade, and it isn’t rope.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________A beat of awkward silence passed by before Cassia took off her cloak and wrapped it around Aerin, pulling the hood over his head._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Alright, if you keep your head down, no one should notice you.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________In retaliation, Aerin threw his head back as if he were a horse. The hood fell back and showed his sickening grin. “You’re not very good at planning things, are you?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“She’s really not,” Kade answered. “She had no idea how she was gonna get past the guards or the barrier to get you out.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Cassia shrugged. “He’s right. I’m more a woman of action than hindsight.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“One time she started a bar fight just because some guy stepped on her foot during a dance,” Kade piped. He picked up the empty potato sack and tossed it to Cassia. “Cut some holes and put this over his head, that should do the trick.“Please don’t do that,” Aerin started, shrinking into himself as Cassia placed the sack over his head. “Those bags are scratchy and I can feel my own breath and quite frankly that’s just not the experience I’m looking for when I escape prison.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Cassia smirked and out her cloak over the potato sack. She poked two holes with her index finger nails to create eye holes. “There,” she muttered, standing back up. “Now we just have to build a dummy, and we can get out of here!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“HEY! What’s going on?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Cassia’s blood ran cold. She turned around to see two armored guards standing over her and Aerin._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Uh, it’s not what it looks like?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mmmm so this one's a little shorter bc I didn't know what I was doing so sorry for that but it should get juicy next chapter ok bye


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